UCLA and Utah may be the top teams of the Pac-12, but each team has talented gymnasts that can excel individually. With the NCAA Championships format changing beginning this season, only eight schools advance to the national postseason. Therefore, some teams that have advanced in the past may have to rely on individuals to represented their schools at NCAAs. With this in mind, the competition for individual gymnasts, from all-arounders to event specialists, will be more competitive than ever before.

Two years ago, the Cal women’s gymnastics team advanced to the NCAA championships. It was just the second time—the first in 20 years—that the Bears were competing at the NCAA championships. And while Toni-Ann Williams, then a sophomore, had helped her team move on to the season’s pinnacle event, she wouldn’t be competing with them.

No. 1-ranked Oklahoma posted a score above the 198 mark for the third straight week, this time totaling a season-best 198.150 to top North Carolina on Sunday in Norman, OK.

When one of the opposing coaches walked up to Miss Val after the Metroplex Challenge on Saturday night in Fort Worth, Texas, and congratulated her, she didn't quite know what to say.

The start of the 2018 NCAA season is right around the corner, with teams and fans eagerly awaiting the first matchups of the year. The first official week of competition begins right after New Year's Day, kicking off on Friday, January 5.